


Eighth Wonder

by damienkarras



Category: Beetlejuice (1988), Beetlejuice (Musical)
Genre: A lotta angst, Death, F/M, Other, beetlebabes shippers dni, for the discord love ya guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-24 12:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19723477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damienkarras/pseuds/damienkarras
Summary: Lydia Deetz prefers to forget. Or, Beetlejuice embarks on the most dangerous mission of his life.





	1. Ghost In The Form Of A Mongoose

**Author's Note:**

> special dedication to everyone on the discord, including ver, sly, comet, jack, venus, bigby, lyla, hallow, and higgins (surprisingly. just kidding.) love you guys!  
> this chapter is a bit short, but don’t worry!

Saying goodbye is about the hardest thing a human being could do to someone they love. Such is true for poor, young, Lydia Deetz, who has realized the ghosts in her house have been awfully quiet lately.

Lydia barely ever went up in the attic, as both the Maitlands would be waiting in the living room whenever she got home. But now, she absolutely had to. Lydia didn’t know why they would be hiding up in the attic, her best guess being a dispute between her parents and the two. As she climbed the rickety stairs, her heart began to sink.

“Mr. Maitland?”   
No response. Lydia gulped.  
“Mrs. Maitland?”  
Only the radio, softly playing Tears For Fears. Lydia bit her tongue, placing a cold hand on the doorknob and turning it.

“Heya, kid!”  
Lydia yelped, grabbing onto the door frame for balance.   
“BEETLEJUICE!” She yelled, crossing her arms. “You could’ve—“  
“Could’ve what? Anyways, I heard you calling for Mister and Miss Happily Married, and I have taken the liberty to tell you they’re currently in ghost couple therapy.”

It took her a few seconds to realize what the demon in front of her was talking about.  
“Ghost couple therapy? That’s not a thing, Beetlejuice!”  
“Take it from the ghost with the most. You know, I’ve been in a few myself— I’m horny, she’s mad—“  
“Tell me where they are!”  
Beetlejuice backed up, throwing his hands in the air. “Sheesh, Lyds. No need to be a maniac.”  
“Then tell me,” Lydia sneered.  
“They’re out for a little bit. Netherworld business. It’s just you and me, kid! BFFFS forever!”  
She grew flustered, having been mad at him. “Yeah! BFFFS forever!”

If only Lydia could tell that Beetlejuice was lying through his teeth, maybe she wouldn’t have forgotten the idea of Adam and Barbara in a few months. Maybe she still would’ve forgotten.  
But you can’t change the past, no matter how hard you try. 

“Isn’t it weird, Charles?”  
Charles looked up from his book, reclining in his chair. “What is it, darling?”  
“Those ghosts. They haven’t been haunting.”  
“I wouldn’t be worried.” Charles let his feet down from his desk, leaning towards Delia. “You must be glad, with all the noise they’ve been making— not to mention the holes in your expensive sheets.”

Delia walked over to him, placing her hands on the desk so sharply Charles almost jumped out of his chair. “It feels like they’re gone! Just… vanished!”  
“That’s what ghosts do, honey!” Charles sighed.   
His wife brought her fingers to her mouth, worried. “What about Lydia?”  
“What about her?”  
“How will she… react?”  
“Delia, she’s a grown woman. I think it’s time she stops playing silly games with those ghosts and bloom.”  
She nodded. “Of course. We want Lydia to be a free, independent girl…” She looked off into the distance. “But—“  
“No buts. Just Lydia becoming a full grown woman.”

That conversation was the last notice of Adam and Barbara in the house, and with it went Beetlejuice, who did the same thing the Maitlands did— disappeared without a trace.  
Lydia was beyond devastated, which doesn’t mix well with a little bit of hope. Eventually the hope fully left her, and she forgot about them.   
There was still something in her that pulled her to the supernatural, and she still remember tidbits of Adam and Barbara and Beetlejuice, but if those thoughts appeared she pushed them away as quickly as they had come.

Some thoughts are meant to be pushed away, hidden in the corners of your mind, but not like this. Definitely not like this. But Lydia, being the strong stubborn girl she always was, refused to properly think about that. Or about anything regarding those thoughts. It hurt her, but she had more to think about. Moving out, starting somewhere new.

But it wouldn’t be the same without them.


	2. I’ll Never Die, I Am A Freak.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beetlejuice makes a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen to There Isn’t Any God by Rusty Cage! luv ya

The Netherworld was not a nice place to be if you weren’t used to it. It was stuffy, dark, and crowded, everything Beetlejuice despised.   
Of course, he didn’t go by Beetlejuice anymore.

He was Lawrence, a thirty-something man who died from alcohol poisoning.  
He hated having a new background, a new name, a new personality— but he had to, or else he’d get thrown to the sandworms. Not only was he a criminal in the Netherworld’s eyes, he was also a wanted criminal, which made the stakes even higher for him. But he would risk it all to find them. It was just a matter of where they were.  
This was the problem, Beetlejuice had thought, while walking through the musty corridors of the Netherworld. Dead people go everywhere sometimes, and Lydia had most likely changed in the sixty years she was alive, so he had to rely on instincts and good luck.

The dead sat patiently, waiting for their number to light up on the screen. The room was quiet, and Beetlejuice started to tap his fingers on the desk, reminding him of one thing he never stopped doing— painting his nails black.  
As stupid as it sounded, it reminded him of Lydia. He realized he might as well give himself a little bit of hope. It really did wonders.  
He looked around the room. Poor Ms. Shelly was next, her neck barely hanging onto her body. 

“Excuse me?”  
Beetlejuice looked up. A young man stood in front of the desk, holding his head in his hands.  
“Yes?” He grumbled, coughing. His Beetlejuice voice was coming out, and he didn’t like that.  
“I-I forgot my handbook. And, uh, everybody else has one. I was wondering, do you have one, or could I go back?”  
“You’ll have to get your own, kid.”  
“Excuse me?”  
Beetlejuice squinted his eyes, confused. “What?”  
“Don’t call me a kid.”  
“I can call you whatever I want, kid. You’re in the Netherworld now.”  
The man placed his head on the desk, sneering at him. “This is no place to—“  
Beetlejuice picked up his head, leaned close, and looked him dead in the eyes.  
“I don’t care.”  
He snatched his head back, eyes narrowing at Beetlejuice. “I’ll be sure to tell whoever’s manager of this establishment.”  
“Kid, listen. I’m not going to take crap from some fresh meat. The establishment can’t do nothing to me— I’m the ghost with the most.”  
Beetlejuice winked, and the man stumbled back.  
“I’m a good boy, Mr. Juice,” he said, but not of his own accord.  
“Mr. J— aw, shit.”

Beetlejuice never saw himself getting into this much of a mess. There was no need for the disguise anymore, so he was back to his regular personality, clothing, and charming aura.  
The outskirts of the Netherworld were even worse than the Netherworld itself. It was cold and harrowing, bodies strewn about like litter. Despite this, Beetlejuice still sauntered around like he owned the place.  
Meanwhile, a girl stood alone in the outskirts, watching Beetlejuice out of the corner of her eye. Her black hair was matted, stuck to her face. It was long and came down to her knees, wrapping around her legs. She could see Beetlejuice walking towards her, and she stiffened up.  
Beetlejuice leaned towards her, grinning. “Hey there. What’s a pretty girl like you doin’ out here?”  
“Waiting,” she replied coldly.  
“For me—“  
“For my daughter.”  
They stood in the crushing silence. Beetlejuice raised an eyebrow.  
“Alright then. What’s your name?”  
“Emily.”  
Beetlejuice froze, his grin dropping.  
“Emily Deetz. And you are?”


End file.
